


Just the Way You Are

by LucindaAM



Series: Write For Me [10]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, It doesn't make for an awkward read, NON-GENDERED READER, Overweight, overweight reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26963719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucindaAM/pseuds/LucindaAM
Summary: You've always been overweight. You've always struggled with body images. Sometimes you can just let it go. Sometimes you can't. This is one of the bad times. Bucky makes it better.Based on this prompt: "I like to read a story about a plus size reader. Maybe she's a mutant and is on the team or maybe she just works really close with the Avengers team at the compound the choice is yours. But maybe she's minding her own business doing whatever and someone starts talking smack and don't know she's with Bucky, Steve or both and the guys over hear it and defends her and then it's just a whole bunch of fluff to show her how beautiful they think she is. I'm a sucker for a good romance lol
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Series: Write For Me [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997872
Comments: 14
Kudos: 104





	Just the Way You Are

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VickyBarnes92](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VickyBarnes92/gifts).



> I've never written a fic like this but I got the request and I couldn't help but accept it. As someone who's struggled with self-esteem issues myself, I know what it's like to have those demon's in your head saying that you're not enough. But you are. There will always be something you hate about yourself. But there's also things to love. Find that thing that you like most and hold on to it until you find something else to admire. By the time you're done, you'll have a whole horde of things to love and those lil' demon voice's become just that. Lil'. 
> 
> Thanks VickyBarnes92 for the prompt!

By the time you’d arrived, late, to the briefing room, the only chair left was the plush one that you absolutely HATED. You were sure Tony had bought it as some kind of practical joke. The first time you’d sat in it, you’d been stuck in it for HOURS before Bucky Barnes of all people had noticed that you were missing and had come searching for you. Even then, it had taken the both of you the better part of five minutes and maneuvers that you felt earned you both honorary engineering degrees before you were able to get out of the plush nightmare that was doing its damndest to swallow you whole.

You debated staying on your feet for the rest of the debrief, but risking a quick look in Fury’s direction told you it was better to cut your loses and take the seat. You sent a prayer up to wise and all seeing Heimdall and then dutiful plopped your butt down.

Immediately, you started sinking further and further back. You kept your eyes on Fury even as you noticed the agents around you start nudging each other subtly under the table and gesturing in your direction. Muffled laughs sounded and you could even hear a joke or two.

“Jonah and the whale.”

“Yeah, but which is which?”

“That poor chair.”

“I don’t know. Maybe fat agents go in and fit agents come out like some kind of SHIELD cocoon.”

*Snicker* “If you don’t come out of SHIELD training like that already, NO magical chair cocoon is going to be able to save you.”

Through it all, you kept your eyes glued to Fury’s face, doing your best to ignore the hurtful comments and pointed stares. You knew you weren’t exactly the picture of fitness, but that didn’t mean that you couldn’t hold your own. You fought to remind yourself of the things that you loved about yourself even as the rest of the room seemed intent on tearing apart the things you hated most.

You were so lost in a sea of your own demons that you hardly noticed when Fury wrapped up his debrief and the rest of the agents filed out of the room leaving you alone.

You stared at nothing and tried to find something to cling to as you fought against the tears that threatened to fall.

“Doll?” A voice cut through the noise and you started.

Bucky was standing in front of you, his eyebrows furrowed. He had a concerned look on his face, and you blushed red. You wiped at your eyes discreetly, clearing up any tears that had fallen.

“Hey, Bucky. Sorry. I didn’t see you there.” You said, shifting awkwardly in the chair you both knew you wouldn’t be able to get out of.

Bucky glanced from your red-rimmed eyes to the doorway and back again. A blank mask slid over his features.

You rubbed your hands together nervously. “What are you doin’ here?” You asked.

Bucky’s face gave nothing away as he answered. “You said you were goin’ to show me that diner your friend owns for lunch today.”

You glanced at your stomach and had to resist the urge to suck it in. “Oh. Was that today?” You didn’t know why your voice was coming out higher-pitched than normal.

Bucky nodded.

“Oh. Well . . . what if we postponed? I’m . . . I’m not feeling particularly hungry today.”

Bucky blinked again. “You’re always hungry.” He said.

You flinched and ducked your head, missing the way Bucky’s eyes narrowed and glanced at the door again.

“I . . . uh . . . maybe I’m coming down with something.” You said glancing back up at him, begging him to just accept your excuse.

Bucky reached out his flesh hand and held it against your forehead. “You don’t have a fever.” He said after a minute, pulling his hand back. You gaped up at him like a fish. He'd touched you so casually . . . he’d never done that before.

“It’s . . . uh . . . not that kind of sick.” You finished lamely.

Bucky shook his head. “I don’t think so, doll.” He pondered something for a minute. “Do you not want to be seen with me? Is that it?”

Your eyes flew to him, expecting to see hurt on his face but you only saw something calculating as you raced to defend yourself. “What? No! Of course not! I’d be honored to be seen with you!”

“Great. Let’s go then.”

You closed your eyes and only just managed to resist face-palming. You’d really walked right into that one.

You put on a brittle smile. “Alright. Let’s go. Just as soon as I get out of this . . .”

You cut off abruptly as Bucky reached over and picked you up out of the chair and landed you on your feet without a single grunt or groan.

You stared up at him in shock, tears welling in your eyes.

“Doll?” He asked, nervously, catching sight of your expression.

You shook your head and burst into tears. You turned and ran from the room, leaving a confused Bucky behind.

“FRIDAY? What just happened?” He asked.

“I believe this will give you the context necessary, Sergeant Barnes.” FRIDAY said pulling up video, with audio, of Fury’s debrief.

Bucky. Saw. Red.

You swirled your spoon around your half-melted ice cream. You’d run right to the kitchen to grab yourself a pint of your guilty pleasure after your hellish afternoon but had yet to take a single bite. Your mind was a sea of jumbled and conflicting thoughts that you just didn’t have the energy to decipher.

You’d found an empty office and were currently sitting in the bay window, glancing out over the traffic of New York.

A knock on the door interrupted your thoughts and you turned to see Bucky standing in the doorway.

“Hey, doll.” He said. “Can I come in?”

You turned your attention back to your ice cream as a blush coated your cheeks. You shrugged a shoulder.

Bucky wandered into the room and leaned against the desk, following your gaze out of the window.

“You know why I’m here?” He asked suddenly, with all the tact of a raging pitbull.

You glanced at him and shook your head slowly.

Bucky sighed walked towards you. He pushed at your legs gently and you swung them aside so he could sit next to you. A thousand thoughts rolled through your head. Maybe he was here to get you to take him to the diner again. Maybe he was here to ask you why you’d run. Or maybe he was here to steal your ice cream.

“I want names.” He said.

You blinked. “Wh . . . what?” You asked, pure confusion written all over your face.

Bucky leaned close.

You swallowed hard.

“I saw the video.” He said. “And. I. Want. Names.”

The pure sense of murder staring back at you somehow managed to excite and terrify you all at once. You weren’t sure what to do, so you laughed. “Very funny.” You said.

Bucky’s jaw ticked.

Your smile faded away. “I’m not going to give you NAMES.” You hissed.

“Hard way, then.” He said, pushing to his feet abruptly.

You hopped to yours and pulled on his arm as he started for the door. “The hard way? The HARD WAY? What are you going to do?!”

Bucky didn’t turn back around but you could practically hear the way his teeth were grinding. “I’m going to shoot them.”

You gasped. “You can’t SHOOT them!”

He turned around then and quirked as single eyebrow as if to say; ‘Watch me.’

He started for the door again and you planted your feet and threw your not inconsiderable weight back to stop him. He didn’t even falter as he started dragging you across the floor, completely ruining Tony’s carpet.

You let out a watery cry again and Bucky froze at the sound of it. When he turned back around this time, his eyes were wild and he was breathing hard. He took a step towards you and brushed one of your tears away. “You keep doing this.” He said quietly.

You nodded.

“Why?” He asked softly, staring at the ground. "Is it me?"

You shook your head rapidly. “I . . . I just . . .” You didn’t know how to explain it. How to get him to understand. Your entire life you’d been on the wrong side of skinny and you’d known it. How could you get him to understand how it made you feel when he picked you up and dragged you around like you weighed nothing? How when he looked at you, you didn’t feel like anything less than the most attractive person around? How it made your day every times his eyes lit up when he saw you? How he saw YOU before he ever considered what you looked like?

You couldn’t.

So you did the only thing you could think of. You pressed to your tip toes and crashed your lips against his. You poured all of that and more into that kiss, channeling every ounce of love for this man that made you feel happy to be alive and happy to be you.

Bucky responded with hungry enthusiasm as he reached down and gripped your thighs. He pulled you up against him and you wrapped your legs around his waist as he poured his own love into that kiss that seemed like it was never going to end.

When you finally broke away, tears were streaming down your face.

“You keep doing that.” He laughed, leaning into to press another kiss to your lips.

You chuckled and kissed his nose. “Happy tears.” You said.

His smile was brighter than the sun as he glanced back at you. “Lunch?” He asked.

You nodded happily and he let you slide down his body before he took your hand in his. He led you out of the office, your forgotten ice cream still on the desk.

“I still want names.” He said.

You chuckled. "Why, Mr. Barnes. At least buy me lunch first." You winked.


End file.
